There is so much to do in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Take time to plan trips to all the great places here, but remember to leave some time just to enjoy the peace and quiet at WOLF DEN Cabin.

It is no wonder lately that more people than ever are making North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains their family vacation destination. Discovering (or rediscovering) that a whole family can stay together affordably in a spacious log cabin with all the amenities of home at significantly less cost than a hotel and be so close to all the fun mountain area attractions helps to make it an easy vacation decision.

We are blessed to have such a scenic and historically significant area as North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains within an easy drive from many major metropolitan areas in North Carolina and adjoining states.

Within about 150 mile radius of the mountains (about one-half tank of gas or less) are:

• Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Durham and Chapel Hill to the east
• Hickory, Gastonia Charlotte, Rock Hill, SC, Greenville, SC and Columbia, SC to the south
• Asheville, Johnson City, TN, Kingsport, TN, Bristol, TN and Knoxville, TN to the west
• Lynchburg, VA, Blacksburg, VA, Roanoke, VA and Danville, VA to the north

and all points in between.

Within about 150-300 mile radius of the mountains (about a tank of gas or less) are:

• Raleigh, Fayetteville, Tarboro, Greenville, New Bern, Jacksonville, Wilmington, Newport News, VA and Richmond, VA to the east
• Florence, SC, Myrtle Beach, SC, Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, Augusta, GA, Macon, GA, Athens, GA and Atlanta, GA to the south
• Chatanooga, TN, Nashville, TN and Bowling Green, KY to the west
• Lexington, KY, Louisville, KY, Cincinnati, OH, Columbus, OH, Huntigton, WV, Charleston, WV and Wheeling, WV to the north

among many other cities and towns.

There was a time when getting to the Blue Ridge Mountains was an arduous task - the roads there were once horrible and traffic backed up for miles during the tourist season. NOT ANYMORE!

For example, our cabin, WOLF DEN Cabin at Buck Mountain, is accessible from Interstate Highways and limited access four lane highways from just about anywhere.

The final four miles to the cabin is an incredibly scenic drive on a paved road and, then, via a wide gently graded and compacted gravel/dirt road.

Come to the mountains. Get away from the hustle and bustle of city life while you enjoy a vacation that doesn’t bust your budget.

On Buck Mountain there are many of us who care about star gazing and the extraordinary beauty of the night sky so we encourage each other not to pollute with exterior lighting. By limiting nighttime outdoor lighting, cabin occupants here are helping to preserve the deep dark blackness of the night sky for all of us to enjoy.

Use of outdoor lighting such as the auto-on lights on poles provided by the electric company or cabin exterior lights which are set to automatically turn-on at sunset is discouraged to help ensure that extraneous light is limited from blocking everyone’s view of the sky.

When one is renting a cabin in the mountains, turning on outdoor floodlights or spotlights for extended periods of time is a waste of electricity and is considered rude to neighbors occupying nearby cabins and/or those on adjacent ridges. Our guests agree not to leave exterior lights on for extended periods at night, when the cabin is unoccupied or overnight while sleeping.

Guests come here to discover more of what nature can display by sitting on the deck/porch in the dark and observing it. Unrestricted use of outdoor lighting, in addition to blocking the night sky, discourages the very animals that you come to the mountain hoping you’ll see.

There are several great riding stables and trails near our cabin.

Please let us know of others where you’ve ridden.

• Dutch Creek Trails
• Celtic Unicorn Stables

Ask any happily married couple about their honeymoon and you are sure to hear interesting stories about how they began their married life together. A honeymoon offers a lifetime of precious personal memories.

There are so many places in the world where a couple can honeymoon but, in this age of rising prices, international tension and travel delay nightmares, there is none more convenient, safe and affordable than North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

Starting a life together without huge wedding and honeymoon debt is a smart plan for couples who know that they will bring the romance with them wherever they honeymoon. Smart couples are discovering the romantic secluded beauty of honeymooning at a well equipped log cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Whether it’s arranging for an in-cabin massage for the newlyweds, bike rentals for a mountain ride, reserving horses for couples trail riding or procuring kayaks or canoes for water fun, we do everything we can to make a honeymoon at WOLF DEN Cabin extra special.

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And, to start things off just right, our honeymooning guests enjoy a complimentary bottle of wine when they arrive.

I simply like this shot of a rare winter snow on Buck Mountain.

Like many new skiers, she fell a lot but had a great time.

There are several fine ski resorts near the cabin which help to make winter in the Blue Ridge Mountains as much fun as any other time of the year.

• Appalachian Ski Resort
• Beech Mountain Ski Resort
• Sugar Mountain Resort
• Hawksnest Ski Resort

Staghorn Falls is very near the cabin… I just like the shot.

I took the falls picture this past summer (2007). There is a great walking trail where we’ve hiked up to the top of the falls. At the top, residents added a bench for your much needed rest after the hike. In the summertime, this is one of the coolest spots on the mountain. Down below, it’s about ankle deep and is a great place to bring friends and family of all ages to splash in the water.

The big black bear waving “HI” is one of my favorite funny pictures. He and the cougar (below) live at Grandfather Mountain in a small zoo there. So, when you’re not walking on the “mile high swinging bridge”, you can visit the animals there.

We’ve had a lot of inquiries about our new cabin and so I thought it would be easier to put pictures up here so everyone can see what it looks like instead of trying to e-mail them.

We are so excited about it … we are looking forward to some great times with family and friends up there and sharing it with a few special guests.

The cabin sits at 2200 feet on top of a ridge line with a great view from the rear porch/deck.

There are miles of roads and trails for walking, hiking or ATV riding. The views are really special all over Buck Mountain.

Here is a view of the living room before we furnished it. I just love the smell of pine that hits you as you walk into the house.

And here is a view of the living room with furniture.

The cabin is three stories (each floor has a full bathroom) and sleeps up to 11 people on seven beds in four bedrooms.

It’s a real rough-hewn log cabin complete with dovetail joints on the corners. Inside there are oak floors throughout with tongue and groove interior pine walls and pine ceilings.

The cabin has a great big porch on which we have placed six ‘Cracker Barrel’ rocking chairs for sitting and looking out at the view.

WOLF DEN Cabin is located in western Wilkes County, NC, at Buck Mountain, a private and gated community of log homes just 17 miles from Boone and only 7 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Near our cabin at Buck Mountain there is a waterfall (Staghorn Falls),

hiking and ATV trails,

a stocked fishing pond

and a sheltered picnic/party area available for a small fee for all guests.